Former presidential candidate and president of Alianza Pais Party Guillermo Moreno says it is up to President Luis Abinader to motivate the legislators representing the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party to desist of the “barrilito” and “cofrecito” sludge funds in Congress. Moreno says the elimination is above all “a political decision” that President Abinader has in his hands.
The legislators get millions for use at discretion to help their communities and gain support with their constituents. The extra fund is an unfair political advantage in favor of the incumbent legislators. President Luis Abinader is motivating legislators to do away with the fund. Polls show most Dominicans agree with the request.
Moreno suggests that the President use the weight of his leadership in the party and align his legislators to resign benefiting from the fund. He says the PRM is majority, so he understands the general public would exercise growing pressure on other party legislators hang on to the irregular privilege.
Moreno is in disagreement with the redirecting of the discretionary allocation of public funds. He says legislators are elected to represent, legislate and serve as check to the Executive Branch. Not to do charity work for which there are specific government entities.
When referring to President Abinader’s announcement of pushing through new amendments to the 2015 Constitution, Moreno suggested the use of a Constituent Assembly that is elected by popular vote, and that would avoid that each party or President who reaches power with a congressional majority, from making reforming the constitution as has occurred over the years. Over the past years, all Dominican Presidents have reformed the Constitution at some time in their mandate. Hipólito Mejía in 2003, Leonel Fernández in 2010 and Danilo Medina in 2015. Medina attempted a second reform in 2019.
In turn, the political leader backed the announcement by President Abinader that the government is hiring of a team of lawyers to assist the Justice Department in the claims of stolen assets due to corruption acts.
Moreno urged the top authorities of the country to promote and pass the bill for extinction of property that would allow the recovery of assets from corruption and other illicit acts. The bill has been languishing for years in Congress. Domain extinction is understood as the loss of the rights that a person has in relation to their assets, declared by a judicial resolution, without any consideration or compensation for the owner.
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El Nuevo Diario
14 December 2020